While electronic communication has radically changed the way information can be exchanged, it has not eliminated the need for the physical delivery of parcels. Physical goods, of course, cannot be sent as digital information, and must still be delivered in a more or less conventional manner. Some formal documents must also be delivered rather than sent electronically. Electronic communication has been used to help make the delivery process simpler for the user by means of parcel tracking applications, and some mailboxes can alert the user to the receipt of delivered goods. However, these devices still do not account adequately for the particular circumstances of the user, such as the user's location at the time of the delivery, or special concerns that the user may have regarding a particular delivery or at a particular time.
There is thus a need for a system that alerts users to the delivery of parcels in a context-sensitive manner.